


Back to the start

by forabeatofadrum (maanorchidee)



Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: Afterlife, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Death, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23953990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maanorchidee/pseuds/forabeatofadrum
Summary: Michael dies and the system is still intact. A familiar face welcomes him.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	Back to the start

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has an open ending, I’m just gonna put that out there. This fic is nothing more than a small idea that popped into my head: Michael arriving in the neighbourhood after his death. What happens afterwards is open to your interpretation… or maybe I’ll write it one day.

WELCOME. EVERYTHING IS FINE.

* * *

The door opens and Michael is surprised to see Vicky standing in the door frame. She looks gorgeous in a suit and her hair is tied up in a neat bun. She looks like a stereotypical Architect.

“Michael, come on in.”

Michael gladly follows her into ther office. He stops when he sees the portraits of his friends: Chidi, Tahani, Eleanor and Jason. It makes his heart melt to see that they’re still recognised. For his human self, it has been 20 years since he last saw them. He doesn’t know how he died, but he’s in his early 90s. He has no idea how many Bearimys have passed in the afterlife.

Vicky sits down and Michael follows suit. Then, he says: “So, the system is still intact?”

Vicky slams her hands on the table. “Goddamnit Michael!”

This makes Michael jump in his seat in shock.

“I should’ve known that wiping your memories won’t do anything good,” Vicky mutters, mostly to herself, but Michael has heard her.

”… what.“

Vicky gets a microphone from underneath the desk. Michael recognises it. "Attempt two - failure.”

“Wait is this already my second run?” Michael asks, aghast.

“Yeah, because you did this the last time as well. What is the point of me having the role of the Architect if my scene partner does not work along? Stick to the script, Michael. You must surprised to be dead. How else can we convey the emotion through our acting?” Vicky yells passionately.

“… so in the first round, we didn’t get any further than this?”

Vicky nods, looking annoyed.

“And you rebooted the entire neigbourhood in hopes of me not knowing how it all works. Vicky, the Judge allowed me to retain my memories when I became human. You should’ve expected this.”

“Yeah, yeah, I just said so. Rebooting won’t help,” Vicky sighs, “Michael, can you- I mean, let’s just improvise. Can you go back and sit in the waiting room and close your eyes and we’ll do this all over again without me rebooting everything.”

“You want me to act surprised?”

“What else is the point of having roles?” Vicky says as if it is obvious.

This makes Michael smile. She hasn’t changed at all in the unknown amount of Bearimys. “Alright. From the top.”

Michael gets up to go back to the waiting room, so that he can pretend that this is all new for him.

Before he goes, he turns back to Vicky. “It is good to see you, Vicky.”

And Vicky breaks character by smiling. “Good to see you too, Michael.”

* * *

Michael plays along. He lets Vicky humour him when she explains that he’s dead and then she gives him a tour through the neighbourhood.

“And this is your new home.”

It is an exact replica of his apartment back on Earth. It fits, since it is the place that allowed him to live his dream.

Suddenly, the realisation that he is dead settles in. He’s dead. He’s _died_. His real apartment back on Earth is empty and oh no, what if no one feeds Jason? How did he die? Did people barge into his apartment after hearing nothing of Michael for a while? Are all his new human friends mourning him?

He’s dead.

He’s lived his dream of being an alive human, and it is over.

Vicky notices the change in atmosphere and she puts a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll give you a moment to let it all sink in, Mr. Realman. If you have any more questions, ask Janet. She is an interface with unlimited knowlegde of the universe’s past, present and maybe even future.”

Michael nods.

“And… off-book, but you know that this neighbourhood’s Janet isn’t the Janet you befriended, right?”

Michael nods again. He had expected it, now that his Janet is an official Good Place Janet and this is not the Good Place.

Vicky’s expression goes back to neutral. Time to start acting again. Her small character break is appreciated, though. “Alright, goodbye for now.”

Michael opens the front door and he inspects the house. It gives him a warm feeling to see that all his prized belongings are here as well. His lovely guitar is standing in the living room. His favourite books are on the shelves. He turns on the TV and his favourite show starts playing.

Now that Vicky is gone, he has the chance to stop acting as if this is all new to him as well. He wants to know what happened to his loved ones in the afterlife.

“Hey Janet?”

A Janet pops in front of him. Vicky was right: it is not his Janet. Michael would recognised his Janet everywhere.

“Hey there.”

“You know who I am, right?”

Janet nods happily. “You are Michael Realman, an amateur magician from Phoenix, America, and you-”

“I mean, my non human self.”

“Yes, you are the former demon/fire squid who turned good. You have designed the current afterlife system. You are a hero.”

“How many Bearimys has it been since I’ve been gone?”

“6.740 and a half Bearimys,” Janet answers. Ouch, that is quite a lot.

“Can you tell me some important parts and can you tell me about my friends?” Michael asks.

Janet nods happily. She always nods happily. This Janet is nothing more than a happy machine. 

“Eleanor has gone through the door. She left not long after you were gone. She is at peace.”

Michael had also expected this. Eleanor, Chidi and Jason are all gone. “And Tahani?”

“Tahani has become Head Architect and she’s taken over from Shawn. Shawn has gone back to good old Bad Place torture, for the people who still go to the Bad Place, like your old friend Brent.”

“So, Brent hasn’t made it?” Michael asks. 

“He was in the system for too long and at one point, it became clear that he would never fully change enough,” Janet says, “I am sorry for you.”

Michael waves it away. He is indeed a bit saddened, but it’s not devastating. Brent did improve, but just not enough. He was never a true friend.

“Did any more interesting people leave?” 

Janet nods and of course it is happily. “You unfortunately missed Beyonce’s goodbye performance a few Bearimys ago. From your experiment, Simone is still around. Eleanor and Chidi’s friends are there too, but you never really met them.”

“Thank you, Janet. That is all.”

Janet nods. It is very happy. She disappears and Michael falls on his couch. As expected, his afterlife friends are gone except for Tahani and Janet. But that doesn’t mean it is no use to go to the Good Place. He’s dead, and now he has to wait till he can see his human friends again.

And maybe he’ll see Mary again. She died before he could muster the courage to ask her out.

Everything will be fine.


End file.
